Lever assisted shovels and other types of hand digging tools are old in the art, as evidenced by the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 738,057, O'Connor; U.S. Pat. No. 1,353,459, Dann; U.S. Pat. No. 2,269,119, Mason; U.S. Pat. No. 2,419,015, Gascoigne, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,816, Conant; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,458, Poulin. However, in all of these prior art disclosures, when the digging devices are in use after they are lifted from the ground, the lever arm is free to swing loosely and thus be in the way of operator.
In the case of U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,458, Poulin, the lever arm 28 may be stored in clip 40 on the handle when not in use, and likewise in U.S. Pat. No. 2,269,119, Mason, the spring 31 will hold the arm forwardly at the back of the shovel blade for the operative position or hold the arm raised up in back against the shovel handle as when it is desired to use the shovel in a conventional manner (page 2, column 1, lines 65-72).
In all of these uses of the digging tools of the prior art, the lever arm is either in the down operative position or may be manually raised into the upper stored position but while in the operative position when the shovel is lifted from the ground, the lever will hang below the shovel and thus be in the way.